Preface by Alfred H. Miles
The Household Oracle aims to be a popular referee on subjects of household enquiry.
Domestic Matters
It deals with all questions concerning the Building, Buying, Renting, Furnishing and Decoration of the House; with Household Management and Accounts, Income and Expenditure, Choosing and Buying, Cooking and Carving, Cleaning and Renovating, the Duties of Servants, etc., etc.; with Home Farming and the management of Poultry, Pigs and Domestic Pets, Dogs, Cats, Pigeons, Rabbits and Song Birds; with Gardening in the Conservatory, the Flower Garden, the Kitchen Garden and the Fruit Garden; with the Household and Household Relationships, the Forms and Laws of Marriage, Matrimonial Causes, Domestic Life ; the Law of Parent and Child, Education, Moral Training and Etiquette; with Needlework, Plain and Fancy, the Sewing Machine, its History and Development, Taste in Dress, etc., etc.; with Household Hygiene, Medical Self-help, the Structure of the Body, Food and Feeding, the Bath and Bathing, Common Ailments, Common Injuries, Nursing the Sick, etc., etc.; with Life Insurance, giving tables of the Expectancy of Life at different ages, and rates of Premiums with and without profit-sharing as charged by the principal Companies, annuities and the Law of Wills and Testaments; with Home Amusements, Chess, Draughts, Card Games, Dancing, Christmas Customs and Decoration, hints on Tableaux; etc., etc., etc.
Citizenship and Scholarship
Besides these and other more domestic subjects the Household Oracle deals with those which affect the householder as a citizen and a scholar. An Epitome of English History from Anglo-Saxon times is followed by a series of Stepping Stones of English History in Table form, giving the dates of all the principal events from the Roman occupation. A sketch of the growth of Our English Tongue is followed by a concise statement of the rules of English Grammar with examples. A brief account of the Land we live on, tracing the growth of the Land Laws, leads up to a description of the English Constitution showing the working of our constitutional system, parochial, municipal and imperial.
Time. History, Religion and Architecture
Under the heading " The Measurement of Time " the story of the Calendar is told, to which is added a Universal Time Table and a Table showing the date of Easter Day and the day of the week upon which each month of the year commences from 1898 to 1950. A History of the Human Family is followed by an historical sketch of each of the great Nations of the World, a Dictionary of the Religions of the World and a Table of the Styles of Architecture of all ages.
Postal System, Weights and Measures and Money
A description of our Postal System in all its ramifications is given, including particulars of rates and conditions up to and including the changes made at the Jubilee of the Queen's reign, 1897, to which are added Tables of Weights and Measures, a Universal Interest Table, a Table of Values of Foreign Moneys, a Ready Reckoner and a Table of Interest at five per Cent on £1 to £10 000 from 1 day to 365 days and from 1 month to 12 months.
Presentation
These and numerous other subjects are treated by specialists whose names are given in the Table of Subjects and Authors, The subjects are illustrated by drawings and diagrams wherever necessary, and it is hoped that their treatment will be found simple, concise and popular. In the department of cookery, economy - apparently the last thing thought of in the preparation of many books dealing with the subject - has been steadily kept in view, and though high-class cookery is dealt with, many homely recipes are given which have stood the test of practical experience for many years.
In the result it is hoped that the volume will be an invaluable help to the young housekeeper and an indispensable authority in every house.
Alfred H. Miles
Disclaimer
The material is presented for historical interest only and is not intended to be an authoritative exposition on anything. The application of any ideas is at the risk of the reader and it is highly recommended that modern professional advice or other references be consulted before applying any of the material here.